Stuffing for chairs and method of treating same



'J. KRONHEIM 1,986,345 STUFFING FOR CHAIRS AND METHOD OF TREATING SAMEJan. 1,1935.

Filed Oct. 16, 1933 Patented Jan. I, 1935 v UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE-STUFFING Foa cnams AND METHOD or TREATING same Jacob Kronheim,Cleveland, Ohio Application October 16, 1933, Serial No. 693,888 1Claim. (Cl. 92-13) My invention relates to a stufllng for chairs, themassisthoroughly washedincold clear water cushions, mattresses and thelike, and method of and then dried. An excellent curl can be obtreatingthe same, and has for its general object tained in this way but I havefound that while to provide a sanitary, strong, durable, resilient, thecaustic soda adds materially to the hardness 5 fibrous product which canbe economically proand resiliency of the strands, there isconsiderduced, and which will not pack. A further obable danger ofchipping or breaking. Furtherject is to provide a product which will notreadily more fibres or strands thus treated are harsh to gather orcreate dust or dirt. the touch and do not have the desired resiliencyHeretofore, such materials as animal hair, of horse hair.

1 moss, straw and African fibre or sea grass have In order to cure thedefects just described and been commonly used by manufacturers offurniproduce a product having the resiliency and feel ture and kindredarticles, for making stuffing, of horse hair, I spray a small quantityof any but they lack one or more of the qualities above suitable highlysulphonated oil upon the mass. mentioned. Animal hair is unsanitary, andthe While the oil may be applied just before or just 5 strands are notof uniform hardness throughout after drying it is preferably appliedduring the their length, and consequently have a tendency drying step,after removal of the mass from the to pack. Moss is objectionable inthat it grinds water or caustic bath. The oil imparts a very up quicklyin use and gives off considerable dust. pleasing luster due to the factthat the surface of African fibre is objectionable because of its thestrands absorbs small amounts of the oil.

strong hay odor, while straw is frequently in- A glossy coating orfinish is thus formed which 0 fested with lice. effectively preventschipping or breaking.

According to the present invention, a stufllng When the strands havebeen thoroughly dried, free from the objections enumerated herein, isthe curl will become permanent. After drying made from strips or strandsof certain varieties the curled and oiled mass is pulled or picked ofplants of the Agave genus or family, .which apartmanually or by anysuitable mechanism, in '25 have been treated with a solution of causticto order to impart the desired flufliness to the matecurl and harden thesame. rial or mass of material.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of In actual practice stumngconsisting of a mass this specification: or curled Agave strands 1,formed according to Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a mass mymethod has been found free from any of the 30 of strands of Agave madeaccording to the presobjections incident to the use of the materials entinvention, but before curling; and mentioned herein as having beencommonly em- Figure 2 is a perspective view of a mass of ployed, forsimilar purposes. The strands are of strands after being curled. uniformhardness throughout, are strong and re- Referring more particularly tothe drawing, silient, possess no tendency to emit dust and are 35 .theindividual strips or strands 1 are formed by thoroughly sanitary.

shredding or otherwise reducing Agave plants to Having thus described myinvention, what I the hair like form indicated in Figure 1. It is claimis: essential that the strands then be curled as indi- 'I'he hereindescribed method of making stuff- 40 cated in Figure 2, in order thatthe mass 3 will ing which consists in reducing strands of Agave 40 havethe desired resiliency. This can be readily plants to strands ofhair-like consistency, soakefiected manually or by machine, in anydesired ing said strands in a caustic soda solution, washmanner, afterthoroughly soaking the strands in ing the strands in cold water and thensimulwater but the curling step can be economically taneously drying thestrands and spraying the 5 and efficiently carried out chemically bymerely latter withasmall quantity of sulphonated oil.

soaking the strands in a caustic soda solution for a period of about onehour. After this treatment JACOB KRONHEIM.

